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# Camp Takeaways: Tempers Flare, Tight Ends Explode for Seahawks in Heated Sixth Practice
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/camp-takeaways-tempers-flare-tight-ends-explode-seattle-seahawks-sixth-practice/
- Published: 2026-08-01T00:54:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:35:37.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Leonard Williams, AJ Barner, Bryce Cabeldue, Derick Hall, Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson, George Holani, Anthony Bradford, Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Andre Fuller, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert, Nick Kallerup, Robbie Ouzts

RENTON, Wash. - Calling themselves a brotherhood, the Seattle Seahawks have as tight knit of a locker room as any to be found in the NFL, which played a crucial role in their recent run to a Super Bowl LX title. 

But as any parent who has raised children understands all too well, that doesn’t mean that brothers don’t still fight from time to time, especially on a practice field in late July during the dog days of summer.

With ramped up intensity matching the rising 80-plus degree temperatures on the practice field in Friday afternoon’s second padded practice, coach Mike Macdonald and his staff had to step in to break up multiple skirmishes with tempers flaring on both sides. Most of the discontent came at the line of scrimmage, stemming from tensions that initially started to brew during one-on-one drills when guard Bryce Cabeldue appeared to get under the skin of a few of his defensive line mates.

Sure enough, without enough time to cool down in the heat of a competitive camp practice, those festering emotions boiled over midway through Seattle’s first 11-on-11 team period. Getting the ball rolling, defensive tackle Leonard Williams sprinted 15 yards downfield to tackle AJ Barner from behind in pursuit, something the tight end did not appreciate as the two started jawing at each other post-whistle.

Only a few snaps later, Cabeldue and Williams became entangled as they sparred on an outside run heading towards the sideline, leading to Williams throwing his hand into the guard’s facemask and knocking his head backwards. Coming up from behind in support of his defensive teammate, Derick Hall reached around and grabbed the blocker around his torso, driving him to the ground as a swarm of players came flying in to join the festivities in similar fashion to when a hitter charges the mound in a baseball game.

Minutes later, Cabeldue checked back into the lineup and immediately found himself on the wrong side of a sucker punch for the second time, this time drawing the ire of second-year pass rusher Connor O’Toole, who swung at him at the tail end of a run play as several bodies tumbled to the ground. Once again, several players rallied around the two players, forcing coaches to step in to pull everyone apart and institute a prolonged drink break to let cooler heads prevail.

While some may wonder why teammates would engage in fights against each other in practice, such situations come with the territory in an NFL training camp. As defensive tackle Byron Murphy II noted, as long as the fights don’t escalate too much and nobody gets hurt, there’s nothing wrong with emotions running hot from time to time and everyone remains close despite the escapades on Friday.

“That’s normal. Just guys trying to get better,” Murphy smiled. “Nothing personal, it’s guys competing. Gets very intense out there. It don’t mean nothing to us, we’re still brothers at the end of the day.”

Away from the UFC fights that broke out in practice, what else stood out in Friday’s sixth practice? Here are four additional takeaways from the VMAC:

**1\. With Elijah Arroyo starring as a downfield weapon, Brian Fleury’s tight ends bust out the dynamite in the passing game.**

Statistically, Arroyo finished with just 15 catches and a single touchdown as a rookie, producing somewhat disappointing numbers for a second round pick in an offensive scheme known for accentuating tight ends. But there were brief flashes where his elite athleticism at 250 pounds showed up in the passing game and since camp opened, it can be argued that no returning player has benefited more from this iteration of the Shanahan-style scheme with Fleury - who coached tight ends for six years in San Francisco - calling plays.

Early in the first team session, Sam Darnold side-stepped on oncoming pass rush and moved his pocket to the left, creating an extra split second to scan the field before letting it rip downfield, finding Arroyo on a seam route for a 30-yard gain. In the same sequence of plays, backup Drew Lock rolled out to his right and dumped a ball off to the speedy tight end in the flats, allowing him to turn upfield and make a short catch into a 17-yard gain in a hurry.

Later in practice, second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe got into the act targeting the big-bodied tight end down the seam, continuing a recent run of steady play throwing the football. Even with cornerback Michael Dansby and safety Maxen Hook draped on him with tight double coverage, neither could make a play on the ball as Arroyo skied above them and high-pointed a perfectly thrown deep ball for a 35-yard gain that drew massive cheers from the sellout crowd spectating from the berm.

For most of the afternoon, it felt like the Seahawks were intentionally targeting tight ends as well as fullbacks with Darnold, Lock, and Milroe throwing to them early and often with great results. AJ Barner, Eric Saubert, Brady Russell, Robbie Ouzts, and Nick Kallerup all caught passes that netted 20-plus yard gains during team scrimmage periods, doing the damage primarily after the catch in the short-to-intermediate passing game. Ouzts’ reception proved to be the one exception, as he made a spectacular leaping catch off a wheel route for six points, putting an exclamation point on a sensational day for the position group as a whole.

**2\. Jadarian Price, backfield group flash with Seattle’s run game finding some traction behind a physical offensive line.**

Evaluating the run game can be a near-pointless exercise in non-contact practices without the offensive line able to block and the defense not even attempting to wrap up ball carriers. But with pads returning on Thursday, Fleury and Seattle’s coaching staff finally have gotten their first chance to see Price and the rest of the backfield group in action during scrimmage periods that far more closely resemble real football, and Friday’s session showcased the talent still in the stable of runners even without Ken Walker III or Zach Charbonnet.

Demonstrating his underrated speed and excellent vision, Price stirred up 12s in the crowd early in the first team session when he cut back against the grain on a wide zone run to the right side, banging the run back inside to find a seam and accelerating with tons of green in front of him. Turning on the jets, he took off for an 18-yard run before coaches blew the whistle. In the next session, he showcased his vision again, this time bouncing a wide zone run to the right behind a big block from Barner, rocketing down the numbers for a 15-yard pickup. He later made linebacker Drake Thomas whiff after a short catch, proving to be tough to line up for a tackle attempt.

Price wasn’t the only Seattle runner who enjoyed success running the ball on Friday, however. Relishing the chance to run behind his pads at 230 pounds, free agent signee Emanuel Wilson picked up steam quickly on an off-tackle run behind punishing blocks from Abraham Lucas and Christian Haynes, who stepped in for Anthony Bradford during team drills, using the caravan of blockers to rumble for a 20-yard run. He had two other runs where he powered his way to 10 or more yards, bringing a different level of physicality to the practice.

Putting a bow on a solid practice overall for the entire running back group, Jacardia Wright scored the lone offensive touchdown during Seattle’s red zone situational drill in the final moments. The second-year runner out of Missouri State found a crease running off the backside of right tackle Logan Brown, making a quick cut outside and outrunning two converging defenders to sprint inside the pylon for six points.

**3\. Devon Witherspoon and a feisty cornerback group fire up the crowd with plenty of pad popping against the run.**

Most players vying for a new contract in training camp would have second thoughts about lowering the shoulder and mixing it up against the run during team drills, valuing self preservation over making a big hit until signing the dotted line. But as he showcased on a three-play sequence early in the first team session, such an attitude isn’t in Witherspoon’s DNA and he simply can’t help himself when presented with an opportunity to blow up a run or a screen play.

With the starting offense up, Fleury called a sweep to the right with Price receiving the handoff and both Lucas and Haynes pulling out wide as lead blockers. While Lucas and Haynes had a significant weight advantage over safety Ty Okada and Witherspoon, that didn’t matter at all, as Okada held serve at the point of attack on a collision with Lucas and Witherspoon knifed past Haynes to stand up the rookie running back as he approached the line of scrimmage, turning and screaming as he pumped up the crowd.

On the very next play, Witherspoon rotated into the slot and shot off the right edge completely unblocked on the blitz, this time meeting George Holani immediately after the handoff to stone wall the running back for a four-yard loss. He slowly walked his way back towards the offensive players standing 10 yards behind the play, making sure they knew they were going backwards.

Following Witherspoon’s lead, Josh Jobe - who added an impressive pass breakup in the end zone matched up against Cooper Kupp - lowered the boom on Wilson after a quick dump off from Darnold out of the backfield, leading to an immediate whistle and just a two-yard gain. Rookie Andre Fuller also got into the act on a similar play, wrapping up Holani in space before he could slip away to hold the reception to only a few yards and minimal damage after the catch and later adding a quick stop against receiver Montorie Foster Jr. on a bubble screen.

**4\. A healthy Tory Horton provides clarity on his arduous journey back from a season-ending leg injury.**

Last fall, Horton surfaced as an unexpected dark horse for Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration in the first half, snagging five touchdowns on just 13 receptions through a Week 9 blowout win in Washington. But after catching two touchdowns in that victory over the Commanders, a shin injury that had been bothering him for weeks became too painful to continue playing through, leading to an injured reserve stint with hopes he could be back late in the regular season or the playoffs.

Unfortunately, as Horton confirmed after Friday’s practice, the fifth round pick out of Colorado State discovered he had a cracked tibia and after several weeks of rest hoping the injury would heal on its own, it became apparent that he wouldn’t be able to play again without surgical intervention. He wound up waiting until after the Super Bowl concluded to undergo surgery in February, starting a lengthy recovery process that prevented him from being able to participate in OTAs or minicamp in May and June.

But Horton received great news coming out of OTAs, learning that he had been cleared to return to the field. While the Seahawks have gradually ramped up his activity since camp started to ensure he stays healthy, he avoided a stint on the PUP list and has been active in five of the first six practices, enjoying his best practice yet on Friday. After being held out of 11-on-11 work in the first two practices, he caught several passes during scrimmage periods, including leaving a defender in the dust with a nasty juke after the catch on a quick curl before bolting his way to a 12-yard gain.

In additional injury news, Bradford and linebacker Ernest Jones exited practice early, with the latter heading into the team facility. No additional details were provided by the team for either player. Rookie cornerback Julian Neal missed his third straight practice with a leg injury, while receiver Jake Bobo, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, and defensive end Jared Ivey were held out. Veteran receiver Irvin Charles returned after a two-practice absence with a sprained ankle, catching a 40-yard touchdown from Milroe.